Woman, 80, suffers broken arm after being hit by mobility scooter (From Daily Echo)

Think somebody was in a hurry to get this story posted and forgot to use spell-check!

Driver in his 70s with grey hair and slim build......

Isn't that a little vague?

I think some information on the actual mobility scooter itself will be more useful.

yet another injury by these machines, so soon after another was fatally driven out of a first floor window
BAN THEM NOW

It is not always the fault of the person on the scooter, before you all jump to an outcome.
As a user of a mobility scooter myself, all to often people, stop dead when walking in front of you, other when almost along side, simply turn and walk straight across your path.
Others coming rushing out of shops without looking.
It is all to easy to say ban them, but to many of us it is the only way we can get any freedom, and to be not totally housebound.
Although many scooters do stop quite quickly when they need to, it obviously still moves a little from when you tried to bring it to a halt.
If for example the person instead of being on a scooter, was dragging themselves along the pavement on crutches, and someone turned and pushed them over, WHAT WOULD YOU SAY THEM, ban crutches????
If people use a little common sense when walking, and actually take them eaephones out, look, and listen, before simply changing there path, these so called accidents wouldn't happen....
Maybe that is why some people remain pedestrians all their lives, as they don't have the capability to control a vehicle.....

mansak_hunt wrote:
yet another injury by these machines, so soon after another was fatally driven out of a first floor window
BAN THEM NOW

As a country that has just hosted the Paralympics, and are trying to promote freedom and equality for disabled people, your attitude of BANNING the very thing that maybe the only way such a person can lead an equality and freedom, you wish to be taken away..
I hope you never find yourself disabled and in need of using one yourself...
Or maybe you would rather see all us disabled people, that need things like mobility scooters, shot and executed, so we are not a burden on others????

I think the situation is similar to that of the cyclists vs pedestrians cases often mentioned on this site.

Both sides need to be respectful of each other when making manouvers, i.e. pesestrians need to look before changing direction, but then again mobility scooters need to as well.

Ive seen instances of mobility scooters turning sharply or weaving around to get pass pedestrians, and as a result a pedestrian has had to suddenly stop or bumped into the scooter. And as posted above, pedestrians can be as much at fault for their manouvers.

mansak_hunt wrote:
yet another injury by these machines, so soon after another was fatally driven out of a first floor window BAN THEM NOW

Partly agree, funny how the police will tell kids to “Not to ride on pavement” but something sometimes as 3 times as wide as a push bike that can weigh a ¼ of a ton,do 10-12 mph & doesn’t have to be insured is ok on a pavement !. I think there should be some sort of test for persons on these mobility scooters & have insurance as compulsory !

Although these vehicles are great at helping the less mobile, I do worry that sometimes they can be driven irresponsibly and as much as pedestrians do need to be aware of scooters near them some ( not all) scooter drivers need to consider the pedestrians as well I have been close to knocked down and a lady clearly in a big hurry came so close to me and my son while we where walking she hit his side and was in such a rush she didn't even notice ( no he was not trying to get away or walking irrationally but calmly at my side she miss judged her spacing. pedestrians and scooter users need to be more considerate of each other.

The top speed of these mobility scooters is 8mph and that is a class 3 scooter! Class 2 scooters only do 4mph and can only be used on a pavement.

I dont know where you got 10-12mph from!

sotonbusdriver wrote:
It is not always the fault of the person on the scooter, before you all jump to an outcome.
As a user of a mobility scooter myself, all to often people, stop dead when walking in front of you, other when almost along side, simply turn and walk straight across your path.
Others coming rushing out of shops without looking.
It is all to easy to say ban them, but to many of us it is the only way we can get any freedom, and to be not totally housebound.
Although many scooters do stop quite quickly when they need to, it obviously still moves a little from when you tried to bring it to a halt.
If for example the person instead of being on a scooter, was dragging themselves along the pavement on crutches, and someone turned and pushed them over, WHAT WOULD YOU SAY THEM, ban crutches????
If people use a little common sense when walking, and actually take them eaephones out, look, and listen, before simply changing there path, these so called accidents wouldn't happen....
Maybe that is why some people remain pedestrians all their lives, as they don't have the capability to control a vehicle.....

One question do scooter drivers take a test????? No maybe they should. I agree sometimes it is the pedestrians fault although in this case I don't think an 80 year old was to busy listening to her i pod to hear a scooter.

We dont actually take a test, but when I bought mine, I was thoroughly trained in how to use it and how to control it and told that the pedestrian always has 'right of way'. I always keep to this but unfortunately some scooter users dont.

I also took out insurance.

We dont actually take a test, but when I bought mine, I was thoroughly trained in how to use it and how to control it and told that the pedestrian always has 'right of way'. I always keep to this but unfortunately some scooter users dont.

I also took out insurance.

miakiten wrote:

sotonbusdriver wrote:
It is not always the fault of the person on the scooter, before you all jump to an outcome.
As a user of a mobility scooter myself, all to often people, stop dead when walking in front of you, other when almost along side, simply turn and walk straight across your path.
Others coming rushing out of shops without looking.
It is all to easy to say ban them, but to many of us it is the only way we can get any freedom, and to be not totally housebound.
Although many scooters do stop quite quickly when they need to, it obviously still moves a little from when you tried to bring it to a halt.
If for example the person instead of being on a scooter, was dragging themselves along the pavement on crutches, and someone turned and pushed them over, WHAT WOULD YOU SAY THEM, ban crutches????
If people use a little common sense when walking, and actually take them eaephones out, look, and listen, before simply changing there path, these so called accidents wouldn't happen....
Maybe that is why some people remain pedestrians all their lives, as they don't have the capability to control a vehicle.....

One question do scooter drivers take a test????? No maybe they should. I agree sometimes it is the pedestrians fault although in this case I don't think an 80 year old was to busy listening to her i pod to hear a scooter.

No test is required, but the problem with some of the elderly using the mobility scooters, is that they never have taken and test to drive, as there is still a reasonable number old enough to be pre-driving tests, and other mobility scooter users that have never driven either...
I have come close to an accident on a few occasions, usually because of pedestrians not looking before suddenly darting across in front of me,,,
I especially am aware of drivng, as I have taken an extended licence to drive buses within the past 10 yrs or so, and more recently an advance driving course too.. But that still doesn't totally prepare you when they just rush across your path without looking,,, and if was an oap on my feet, probably would have been knocked over, laying on the floor with broken bones.
Pavement scooters travel no more than 4mph, so are no faster than a fit person walking....

"as there is still a reasonable number old enough to be pre-driving tests,"

the driving test became compulsory in 1935 for anyone who started driving on or after 1st April 1934 - there are not that many 96 year olds charging around on mobility scooters!

da streetz are dangerous ya know.

I've seen these scooters do 10mph+ before, it's because they need the power to have torque to climb hills, they're also normally direct drive to make them simple and maintenance free, in my mind they should all be limited in speed... In fact, lets get volvo to manufacture mobility scooters, their cars have protection for pedestrians, they would put it into mobility scooters too, they'd also make them very energy efficient like their newer cars that are VED exempt.

sotonbusdriver wrote:
It is not always the fault of the person on the scooter, before you all jump to an outcome.
As a user of a mobility scooter myself, all to often people, stop dead when walking in front of you, other when almost along side, simply turn and walk straight across your path.
Others coming rushing out of shops without looking.
It is all to easy to say ban them, but to many of us it is the only way we can get any freedom, and to be not totally housebound.
Although many scooters do stop quite quickly when they need to, it obviously still moves a little from when you tried to bring it to a halt.
If for example the person instead of being on a scooter, was dragging themselves along the pavement on crutches, and someone turned and pushed them over, WHAT WOULD YOU SAY THEM, ban crutches????
If people use a little common sense when walking, and actually take them eaephones out, look, and listen, before simply changing there path, these so called accidents wouldn't happen....
Maybe that is why some people remain pedestrians all their lives, as they don't have the capability to control a vehicle.....

Pedestrians should not need to 'mirror signal manoeuvre' or check their blind spots before stopping, turning left or right or emerging from shops. The footpath is for people on foot travelling at 3mph at most. Most of these scooter things travel at at least twice that. People riding on them must ride them assuming that people will do unexpected things; particularly younger children. Either that or ride on the road.

How many people who drive these scooters are insured against accidents such as the one reported.

In my opinion, by law they should all be insured and have visible identification plates.

Linesman wrote:
How many people who drive these scooters are insured against accidents such as the one reported.

In my opinion, by law they should all be insured and have visible identification plates.

Question is - does your opinion count, and does it match up with the facts...

Searching through various documents online (eg news sources, dept of health, etc) I see that there are only about 10 incidents reported a year. I am inclined to agree with Sotonbusdriver's comment.

I remember the lady at work who uses one. She had been sat still chatting to a friend in a corridor one day when a lady walked into her. If it hadnt of been for all the witnesses who saw this daft s** we might have all thought ill of the lady in the scooter.

Stupid thing was she wasnt looking where she was walking and attempted to have the audacity to berate the lady in the scooter.

As I said before - if compulsion laws come in (and they're already in for one class of scooter, remember - check out Directgov its all on there) many wont be able to afford to use them. Their freedom will be affected.

Of the Ilk wrote:
"as there is still a reasonable number old enough to be pre-driving tests,"

the driving test became compulsory in 1935 for anyone who started driving on or after 1st April 1934 - there are not that many 96 year olds charging around on mobility scooters!

You need to go back to school and pay attention in your maths class.

huckit P wrote:

Of the Ilk wrote:
"as there is still a reasonable number old enough to be pre-driving tests,"

the driving test became compulsory in 1935 for anyone who started driving on or after 1st April 1934 - there are not that many 96 year olds charging around on mobility scooters!

You need to go back to school and pay attention in your maths class.

Explain. A 96 year old would have been born in 1916, meaning they would have been 19 in 1935.

What makes you think that Of the Ilk needs to go back to school. He chose an age at random.

mansak_hunt wrote:
yet another injury by these machines, so soon after another was fatally driven out of a first floor window
BAN THEM NOW

203,950 people were injured by cars, vans etc in 2011, including 1,901 fatalities.

BAN THE INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE NOW

lyn, wrote:
The top speed of these mobility scooters is 8mph and that is a class 3 scooter! Class 2 scooters only do 4mph and can only be used on a pavement. I dont know where you got 10-12mph from!

They will do & like somebody has said they will easily do 12mph; in fact they can legally do up to 15mph before it becomes a taxable vehicle but whether the companies choose to make them do this is down to them & the client but I have seen these on the road with number plates on & when you are following them it is around 13-15mph !